<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Climbing Out of the Wreck</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Dylan yanks out every board-book from his cubby,</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">opens one on the floor and stands over it</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">flipping pages, oinking and mooing.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">When I command, “point to your eyes” </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">he points<i class=""> </i>and bats his lashes.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">“Nose” and he places his finger there.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> <i class="">there is a ladder</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;" class=""><i class=""></i><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">My mother-in-law, leg recently amputated, drifts</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">in her hospital bed, only dimly aware </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">of her absent limb. Instead, she fixes her focus</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">on the Anna’s hummer at the feeder, </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">sucks at the watermelon chunks we’ve brought.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> <i class="">the ladder is always there</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;" class=""><i class=""></i><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Nearly every morning, following the lead</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">of the trusty sun, I pour a mug of strong coffee, </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">then head to my writing desk, </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">where books, journal, and pen await— </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">reach for the first rung. </p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Jodi Hottel</div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></p><div style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: right; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; min-height: 15px;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">Italics from<i class=""> Diving into the Wreck </i>by Adrienne Rich</p></div></body></html>